We need some grit and order. In a viral Threads discussion, hundreds of ER doctors and nurses weighed in on dangerous everyday things they would never do themselves. Some were obvious: They would never ride a motorcycle, especially without a helmet. They would never let their children jump on a trampoline without a protective net. They would never speed down city streets on an electric scooter. But also? They would never wear a hair clip. Claw clips have been a staple of messy buns since the 1980s, but in the recent frenzy for anything “vintage” or “Y2K,” they’ve become a staple for Generation Z. Twenty-something celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner have sported the toothy accessory, which sells for as little as $4 at Walmart… or as much as $750 at Prada. Hailey Bieber with a baby pink claw clip. The accessory is popular among Generation Z. GC Images But according to health experts, this cute and trendy accessory is not worth the risk it imposes. “Claw clips have the potential to cause injuries during traffic accidents. If our head is forced forcefully into the headrest, the metal clips can cause injuries to the head, neck and scalp,” Dr. Dorieann O’Leary explained in the caption of an Instagram video. “They can lodge in the scalp, cause lacerations and require surgical removal,” he warned. A retired ICU nurse agreed, warning online readers that during a car collision, “they embed themselves in the skull.” “Death investigator here,” wrote another. “I will never use clamps while driving.” In 2023, a young British woman was seriously injured when her hairpin became embedded in her skull during a car accident. Facebook/ A cemetery worker added: “My daughter is eight years old and she really likes tweezers. I won’t let her use them in the car.” In 2023, a British university student named Jeena Panesar, then 19 years old, suffered serious injuries to her skull, face and eye sockets when her car overturned on a country road, causing her pitchfork to lodge in her head. Last year in Australia, a 22-year-old fashion influencer named Ella Carter suffered a similar fate, suffering a severe concussion due to her plastic clip. If it was metal, she told her followers, doctors thought it could have killed her. (But apparently he was well enough to make a TikTok while in the ambulance.) But while the clips are convenient and super cute, it’s hard to make a life-threatening head injury look stylish.
